Most Famous Boxers – List of Famous Boxers in History Nationality: American Known For: First African American to be the world heavyweight boxing champion. Nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” Jack Johnson was widely considered to be the most famous African American on the planet for more than a decade as he dominated the world of boxing. Notably, Johnson had his success during the time period when Jim Crow laws were still in effect. In fact, both of his parents had been slaves. Racism ran deep at that time and when Johnson became world heavyweight boxing champion, many whites were furious. Nationality: American Known For: Holding the world heavyweight boxing champion title 1919 through 1926 Jack Dempsey was known as “The Manasa Mauler” and was celebrated for his offensive style and powerful blows. Of his 65 recorded wins in the ring, 51 were by knockout. Dempsey was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. His fights drew in large crowds, often setting attendance records. Additionally, The Associated Press named Dempsey as being the best boxer to fight during the span of 1900 to 1950.

Nationality: American Known For: Being the world heavyweight champion for almost 12 years (longest in history). Called the “Brown Bomber,” Joe Louis successfully defended his world heavyweight championship title 25 times. He was known as being a very generous and kind man – even donating his winnings twice to military rellief during World War II. In 1982 Louis was posthumously honored with the Congressional Gold Medal. He was later named a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Nationality: American Known For: Often argued to be the greatest boxer of all time. Originally named Walker Smith Jr., Sugar Ray Robinson got his name after using the Amateur Athletic Union card of a fellow boxer named Ray Robinson. After becoming pro in 1940, he won his first 40 bouts in a row. He had an astonishing record of 175 wins – 110 of which were knockouts – and only 19 losses. He even had a streak of 91 wins in a row that lasted for 8 years between 1943 and 1951. Nationality: American Known For: His legendary fights with Sugar Ray Robinson.

Jake Lamotta was the inspiration behind the movie “Raging Bull” that starred Robert De Niro. He was the first boxer to ever beat Sugar Ray Robinson. He was known for being able to take a beating and still continue fighting. He was only knocked out one time in his 100-plus fight career and only lost 9 times. Nationality: American Known For: Was undefeated for his entire professional career. Rocky Marciano went 49 and 0, including 43 wins by knockout during his time spent as a professional boxer. He was not known to have an accurate punch; however, when he landed a blow it was usually devastating. Tragically, he died in a plane crash the day before his 46th birthday. Marciano was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. Nationality: American Known For: Learning how to box while in jail. Charles L. “Sonny” Liston was a gifted boxer who lived a very troubled life. Liston was known to struggle with alcohol addiction, but his physical skills still allowed him to shine in the ring. He became the world heavyweight champion in 1962 after knocking out Floyd Patterson in the very first round.

Nicknamed “The Big Bear,” Liston had a professional record of 50 – 4, with 39 knockouts. Nationality: American Known For: Being wrongfully convicted of murder and put in prison for almost two decades. Ruben “The Hurricane” Carter was known for his incredibly fast punches, but even more well-known for his struggles to be freed from prison. He and a friend were wrongfully accused of a triple homocide in June of 1966. The ensuing investigation was not conducted professionally and many believe that Carter was framed. While in prison, Carter wrote a book about his innocence entitled “The 16th Round: From Number 1 Contender to Number 45472.” He was eventually freed in 1985. Nationality: American Known For: His outspoken ways and historic fights. Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., Muhammad Ali dubbed hiimself “The Greatest.” He won an Olympic gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics. He later would knock out Sonny Liston in 1964 and become the world heavyweight champion. His overall professional record was 56 – 5 with 37 knockout wins.

He was a part of some of the most famous fights in boxing history, including: the “Fight of the Century” against Joe Frazier and the “Rumble in the Jungle” against George Foreman. Nationality: American Known For: Holding the world heavyweight title from 1970 to 1973. Joe Frazier was a gifted boxer who started off his career as the Middle Atlantic Golden Gloves Champion for three years in a row. He won gold at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Frazier famously fought agains Muhammad Ali in “The Thrilla in Manilla” – a match that lasted 14 rounds and was ended due to both of Frazier’s eyes swelling shut. He also was the world heavyweight champion Nationality: American Known For: Twice being the world heavyweight champion. Known as Big George, the Punching Preacher and the Heywood Giant, George Foreman won Olympic gold at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. To date he is noted for being the oldest heavyweight champion after beating Michael Moorer for the title at age 45. Of his 76 recorded professional boxing wins, 68 were by knockout.

He only had five loses in his career, with the most memorable being a loss to Muhammad Ali at “The Rumble in the Jungle.” Nationality: American Known For: Winning his first 48 professional boxing matches in a row. Larry Holmes was the sparring partner for both Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. Perhaps due to this he became quite skilled in his defensive techniques. In 1978, Holmes won the World Boxing Council heavyweight title. He had an impressive record of 69 and 6 by the time he retired in 2002. Since then he has been made a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Nationality: Panamanian Known For: Winning the world championship in four separate weight classes. Nicknamed “Manos de Piedra,” or “Hands of Stone,” Roberto Duran was known for his powerful punches. He become a professional boxer at the young age of 16. His long career left him with a final record of 103 wins and 16 losses which included 70 knockouts. His time as a professional boxer was ended after he was in a car accident that left him with a punctured lung and broken ribs.

Nationality: American Known For: Being a well-known trainer after his professional career. Floyd Mayweather Sr. was a world ranked welterweight fighter in the 1970’s and 80’s. He had strong defensive skills and a solid knowledge of boxing technique. His biggest fight was against Sugar Ray Leonard in 1978 in which he lost by knockout. Mayweather Sr. has trained many successful boxers since his retirement, including Oscar De La Hoya and Chad Dawson. He also trained his son Floyd Mayweather Jr. who is currently 45 – 0 as of October, 2013. Nationality: American Known For: Holding the middleweight champion title for 7 years. Marvelous Marvin Hagler dominated the boxing world for much of the 1970’s and 1980’s. He successfully defended his title twelve times and his 67 career wins include 52 KO’s – giving him the highest knockout percentage of any middleweight champion. He is known for having a very “tough chin,” meaning that he could take many hard punches and not be phased or knocked out easily. Nationality: American Known For: Being a world title winner in five weight classes.

Sugar Ray Leonard made history by being the first boxer to make over $100 million in winnings. He was labeled the “Boxer of the Decade” in the 1980’s and defeated four future International Boxing Hall of Fame members. Additionally, he won the 1976 Montreal Olympic gold medal in the light welterweight division. Leonard ended his career when he retired in 1998 with a professional boxing record of 36-3-1 and 25 knockouts. Nationality: American Known For: He was a two time world heavyweight champion in the early 1990’s. Evander Holyfield goes by the nicknames the “Real Deal” and “The Warrior.” Perhaps most notably, Evander Holyfield is remembered for having part of his ear bitten off by Mike Tyson in 1997. He competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics and placed third, receiving the bronze medal. Nationality: Mexican Known For: Being a world lightweight champion. Sometimes referred to as “The Caesar of Boxing,” “Mr. KO” or “The Great Mexican Champion,” Julio Cesar Chavez is widely considered to be the best fighter to come out of Mexico.

His record upon retirement was 116 wins, 6 losses and 2 draws. 87 of his victories came in the form of a knockout. He retained his World Boxing Council Super Featherweight title for a total of nine fights. Nationality: American Known For: Being the youngest boxer to hold the WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles. When Mike Tyson was just 20 years old he held all three major world boxing titles. He remains the sole heavyweight boxer to concurrently hold all three at titles. After twice biting Evander Holyfield’s ears in a match in 1997 he was temporarily suspended from boxing in the United States and fined $3 million. Since retiring in 2005, “Iron Mike” Tyson has made various commercial and movie appearances. Nationality: American Known For: Having been honored as”Fighter of the Decade” for the 90’s. Roy Jones Jr. became the first former middlewight champion in 106 years to go on and take the heavyweight title. He has won 10 major world titles and 5 minor world titles.

In 1988 he took the silver medal at the Seoul, Korea Olympic games – though it is generally agreed upon that he was robbed of the gold. Jones Jr. has appeared in a few movies and has also released his own albums. Nationality: American Known For: He has won the championship in three different weight classes. “Sugar” Shane Mosley won the 1989 U.S. Amateur Championship, the 1990 U.S. Amatuer Championship and the 1992 U.S. Amatuer Championship before becoming a professional boxer. Mosley retired in 2012 with a final professional record of 46 wins, 8 losses and 1 draw. 39 of his victories were by knockout. Lennox Lewis (1965 – Present) Nationality: British Known For: Winning the Olympic gold medal in the super heavyweight class in Seoul in 1988. Lennox “The Lion” Lewis was the first British boxer since Bob Fitzsimmons in 1899 to become a world heavyweight champion. After winning Olympic gold, he went professional and won his first 21 bouts in the ring.

Lewis retired in 2004 with a final record of 44 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw and 32 wins by knockout. Nationality: American Known For: Winning a total of ten world titles in 6 weight classes. “The Golden Boy,” Oscar De La Hoya, won the gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the lightweight division. De La Hoya toppled seventeen world champions during his career and earned an approximate $696 million from pay per view fighting alone. This makes him the highest grossing boxer of all time. When he retired in 2009, De La Hoya finished with a final record of 39 wins and 6 losses. Nationality: American Known For: Being undefeated at 45 – 0 as of October, 2013. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. received much of his training from his father who was also a professional boxer. To date, Mayweather, Jr. has won 8 world titles as well as the lineal championship within 4 separate weight classes. He is currently ranked as the top pound for pound boxer on the planet by Sports Illulstrated, Fox Sports, Yahoo Sports and ESPN.

Nationality: Filipino Known For: Winning several world boxing champion titles in 8 separate weight divisions. Manny Pacquiao holds ten world titles and was also the first boxer to be victorious in the lineal championship in 4 different weight divisions. The Boxing Writers Association of America honored Pacquiao with the title of “Fighter of the Decade” in the 2000’s. He currently has a record in professional boxing of 54 wins, 5 losses and 2 draws. 38 of his victories were knockouts. Nationality: American Known For: Defeating Manny Pacquiao in a controversial fight in 2012. Since becoming a professional boxer, Timothy Bradley has remained undefeated and currently stands at 31 – 0 as of October, 2013. Bradley has held the World Boxing Organization and World Boxing Council titles. His victory over Manny Pacquiao is widely regarded as a mistake by the judges as Pacquiao clearly won seven of the twelve rounds and had landed more punches with more accuracy. Nationality: Mexican Known For: Winning the WBC middleweight title in 2011.

The son of famed Julio Cesar Chavez, Sr., he is often called “The Son of the Legend.” He began his professional boxing career at just 17 years old. Over the ten years that he has now been boxing, Chavez, Jr. has only lost one of his 50 fights and has racked up 32 KOs. Introduction - Redemption: The Life & Death of Rocky Marciano: volume one. Redemption: The Life & Death of Rocky Marciano: volume one. An Open Letter... To the reader, My name is John Cameron, an author from the United Kingdom who is currently heavily involved in researching and composing the (hopfully) definitive biography of Rocky Marciano, the former undefeated world heavyweight boxing champion. Marciano reigned from 1952 until his retirement in 1956, ending his career with forty-nine victories in forty-nine starts, not bad for someone who was told to forget all about boxing when he started his professional career at the rather advanced age of twenty-four in 1948. All he had, they said, was a punch, but that punch flattened some forty-three opponents, leaving Marciano with the best stoppage percentage in all of boxing.

I was not even born when Marciano died in 1969, my birth came three-years later and I was to grow up at the tail end of the impossible Muhammad Ali, and rise of the incredible 'Marvelous' Marvin Hagler. I had no conception of Marciano, to me he was no more than a black-and-white image in fading photographs. That is until my father began to fill my young impressionable head with stories of this remarkable man. From then on, aged about eleven, I was hooked. I attempted to copy his style when I donned the gloves in my youth, I was lucky I didn't get killed as I learned the hard way that no one can copy his "style"! However I did survive, although my face will forever be worn as a souvenier of my naivety. Over the years my hero worship of the man never waned as I collected all I could, I wanted to know everything about Marciano, what made him tick, how the hell did he fight the way he did, everything.

Yet as my collection grew I was left with the empty feeling that the whole story was not being told (and in my research I have proven to myself that I was right, a first!), thus I have resolved to put it right. This site is more a homage to the journey of putting the project together than it is the tale of Marciano, that is all being revealed in the project itself, however I will keep dropping in some excerpts from the book from time to time just to keep you, the reader, interested and remind myself of the almost impossible task I have set for myself. yet, taking a leaf from the man himself, I will not allow the impossible to hold me back!!* Thank you for taking the time to follow me here, all being well I will see you at the other end. Yours, John. *since I composed this it has become apparent that I should not give too much away...

Create a free website 1000+ images about Boxing G.O.A.T on Pinterest | Legends, August 9 and Boxing Rocky Marciano the best fighter ever lived...Joey loved boxing and had a mean punch so i'm told See More Ranking the 10 Most Impressive Winning Streaks in Boxing History | Bleacher Report Ranking the 10 Most Impressive Winning Streaks in Boxing History By Briggs Seekins , Featured Columnist Sep 5, 2013 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow Ethan Miller/Getty Images 23 Comments In the final week or so left before Floyd Mayweather faces Saul Alvarez, expect to hear the pound-for-pound king and his many fans repeat a common refrain: "Men lie and women lie, but numbers don't lie." It's got a catchy ring to it, but that doesn't mean it isn't hooey. Of course, numbers don't lie. But like any facts, they can be employed to create misleading arguments. Just the same, Mayweather's 44-fight winning streak is a major accomplishment in the sport's history. Other impressive winning streaks didn't quite make the cut for me.

Joe Calzaghe's 46-0 record will get him into the Hall of Fame. But his quality of opposition doesn't meet the level of those I've rated ahead of him here. Ricardo Lopez, similarly, just misses the top 10. He was a dazzling fighter, and you can't argue with 51-0-1. But the quality of opposition at 105 and 108 pounds just isn't the same as it is in the higher weight classes. Tweet Larry Holmes just might be the most underrated heavyweight champion of all time. It's a natural consequence of following Muhammad Ali, the greatest heavyweight of all time, and preceding Mike Tyson, who was among the most exciting. But Holmes ruled the heavyweight division for an entire era. When he beat Ken Norton for the vacant WBC belt in June 1978, I was finishing first grade. When he dropped the title to Michael Spinks in September 1985, I was in high school. Along the way he ran his record to 48-0, just one win short of Rocky Marciano's 49-0.

In my opinion, he deserved to win against Spinks, and he was criminally robbed in their rematch. A highly skilled boxing technician, Holmes campaigned at a high level well past age 40. Tweet In the same way that Floyd Mayweather partisans will argue that he is the greatest of all time because he is undefeated, fans will occasionally try to claim Rocky Marciano is the greatest heavyweight ever because he retired undefeated. But that is simplistic thinking. Marciano fought a relatively low level of competition for a dominant heavyweight champion. His best wins were against a past-his-prime Ezzard Charles and just-plain-old Joe Walcott, Joe Louis and Archie Moore. Marciano started late in the sport and was developed slowly and with caution. Even after he beat Louis, one of his next fights was against well-traveled journeyman Lee Savold, whom Louis had stopped the previous year. But 49-0 is 49-0. And Charles, Walcott, Louis and Moore are all-time greats and were still dangerous when Marciano beat them. One thing is certain: His winning streak is among the most exciting of all time.

On numerous occasions, the Rock was on the brink of defeat, only to have his immortal right hand, sublimely nicknamed "Suzie Q," grab victory from the jaws of defeat with sudden violence. Tweet I didn't include Joe Calzaghe or Ricardo Lopez, but I did include a Welshman and a 108-pound fighter. Before losing to Tancy Lee in January 1915, Jimmy Wilde had run his professional record to 93-0-1. Wilde was the flyweight champion of the world during his long undefeated run and remained so for years after losing to Lee by Round 17 TKO. As was common for the era, Wilde routinely fought and beat larger men. Wilde weighed in at 108 against Lee and gave up about 10 pounds, which is a significant percentage of body weight for fighters that size. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Ethan Miller/Getty Images Compared to some of the fighters on this list, Floyd Mayweather's 44-0 record doesn't make the eyes bulge. But in today's era, fighters just don't fight as often.

But the percentage of high-quality opponents fought during his streak is as good or better than that in the longer streaks compiled by some of the fighters of previous eras. I am glad that modern fighters can earn enough money to not risk their health fighting as often as the boxers from earlier eras. But that doesn't mean I don't give more credit to a fighter like Sugar Ray Robinson, who was fighting an extra dozen journeymen a year to make some extra bread. Those were still professional fights that took a serious toll on the body year after year. A great fighter can get banged up worse sometimes against a C-level masher, even if he does win with relative ease. On the other hand, the stress of managing a promotion to the degree that Mayweather does twice a year is a different kind of challenge. And plenty of talented fighters have managed to fall apart in a lot less time than has passed while Mayweather has been compiling his streak. And at the end of the day, winning 44 straight fights at the world championship level is a rare accomplishment, no matter who you are. Tweet Harry Greb is the most mythical figure on this list. As far as I know, there is virtually no footage of him fighting.

But he was the dominant middleweight champion of his era and fought multiple times a month, so countless journalists and historians recorded the argument among his contemporaries for Greb's status as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of their time. In written description, "The Pittsburgh Windmill" always sounds something like the middleweight version of Jack Dempsey, and he was the only fighter to ever beat Dempsey's conqueror, Gene Tunney. Between Greb's May 1920 loss to Tommy Gibbons and his February 1923 loss to Gene Tunney, he won at least 50 straight fights. Julio Cesar Chavez Ethan Miller/Getty Images This is not an all-time, pound-for-pound list. I would never rank Julio Cesar Chavez this high if it were. He's behind Pernell Whitaker, for starters. But when ranking winning streaks, they don't get much better than Julio Cesar Chavez's. The dominant, three-division world champion ran his record to 87-0—if you count when he actually got beaten for the first time, against Pernell Whitaker—or to 89-0-1, before losing to Frankie Randall, if you recognize the draw as legitimate.

Where Canelo Alvarez is right now going into the biggest fight of the year for 2013, he's still only about halfway to "JC Superstar." Tweet Willie Pep started his career with a 62-0 record before losing his first professional fight to Sammy Angott in March 1943. But that's not even the winning streak that gets "Willow-the-Wisp" on this list. Between losing to Angott and Sandy Saddler in October 1948, Pep went 72-0-1 and established himself as arguably the greatest featherweight of all time. During that winning streak, he also suffered a serious injury in a plane crash. And he still came back to beat Saddler once in a rematch. Perhaps the greatest defensive fighter of all time, Pep was able to continue winning fights until well past age 40. Tweet By most historical counts, Joe Louis is reckoned as the top boxer of the 1940s. That's the way it is when you are the dominant heavyweight champion of the world. But based on what was accomplished in the ring, Sugar Ray Robinson was probably the fighter of the decade for the 1940s.

He was probably the fighter of the decade for the 1950s, too. His best unbeaten streak spanned both decades. After starting his career 40-0, Robinson suffered his first loss against the Bronx Bull, Jake LaMotta, in February 1943. After that, he won 88 fights without a loss before getting upset by Randy Turpin in July 1951. During that streak, Robinson collected first the welterweight and then the middleweight world titles. After suffering his second loss against Turpin, Robinson came back two months later and knocked the Englishman out in the rematch. Robinson started 1952 by beating Bobo Olson by decision in March and then knocking out Rocky Graziano a month later in April. In June 1952, he collapsed in the 104-degree heat in Yankee Stadium against light heavyweight world champion Joey Maxim, in a fight where he was far ahead on the cards. That's the stuff a pound-for-pound resume is made of.

Boxing: The 10 Greatest Heavyweights of All Time | Bleacher Report Boxing: The 10 Greatest Heavyweights of All Time Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow Gray Mortimore/Getty Images 51 Comments It seems like forever ago when the worlds only care in sports was who was fighting for the Heavyweight Championship. Stadium's were packed all over the world to see Muhammad Ali fight Joe Frazier and George Foreman. What it meant to be the heavyweight champ of the world has drastically lost its prestige, but these 10 fighters changed the world of sports. It is a shame the boxing world will never be what it once was. I wish I could jump in a time machine and see all of these fighters in their prime. With the fighting world progressing into the MMA era, these legends will only live in our memories, in a time where these heavyweights ruled the mass media. For those who cherish this almost forgotten sport, we will never forger the 10 greatest heavy weights in the history of the great sport of boxing. 10.

Mike Tyson Holly Stein/Getty Images From prison to the silver screen, Iron Man Mike Tyson 's prolific career has been surrounded by more controversy than any other fighter in the common era of professional boxing. If it wasn't for his out of the ring problems, Mike Tyson may have went down as one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport. Let's not forget all the success Mike had during his time in between the ropes. Tyson had a career record of 50-6-0-2, and his career spanned over 20 years from 1985-2005. He would have accumulated more fights if it wasn't for his prison sentence in the early 1990's. Mike Tyson won 44 of his 50 fights by way of knock out. Mike Tyson knocked out Trevor Berbick in the second round in 1986 to become the youngest heavyweight champion in the history of professional boxing. Mike Tyson dominated his way through heavyweight ranks with his tremendous punching power. His ability to overpower his opponent was like none we have ever seen in the sport.

Mike Tyson was undefeated, posting a 37-0 record before he lost his first fight and his title to Buster Douglas in the 1990 fight in Japan. Unfortunately, his actions outside the ring will always overshadow his greatness in the ring. He will also be remembered for the malicious attack on the ear of Evander Holyfield. 9. Evander Holyfield Holly Stein/Getty Images The timeless Evander Holyfield is one of the greatest champions and overall great men the sport of boxing has ever seen. Holyfield is thought to be one of the most determined fighters of all time. His "never say die" attitude made him a great fighter and even greater champion. Evander earned is first heavyweight title when he knocked out Buster Douglas in the third round in 1990. He will be always be remember for his battles with fellow heavyweight Riddick Bowe, who defeated him in 1992, but Evander was able to regain his title by defeating him in 1993. In 1996, Evander was able to regain the WBA Heavyweight title after he knocked out Mike Tyson in the 11th round in 1996.

A series of fights with Tyson led to the infamous ear bite that shocked the boxing world. 8. Larry Holmes Holly Stein/Getty Images Larry Holmes was one of the longest tenured fighters in the history of boxing with a career stemming almost 30 years from 1973-2002. Simply Incredible. Holmes mounted a 69-6 record with 44 wins by way of knock out. Holmes' first heavyweight title was won after a 15-round war by split decision over Ken Norton in 1978. In 1980, Muhammad Ali came out of retirement to challenge him, and Holmes responded by placing a beating on Ali that lead to his corner stopping the fight shortly after the tenth round came to an end. What makes Larry Holmes one of the greatest fighters of all time is that he defended his title an incredible 20 times. His record accumulated to 48-0 before losing a points decision to Michael Spinks. Holmes came in and out of retirement and continued to fight sparingly, but during his run as champion, he was one of the greatest the sport had ever seen. Next » 7.

Joe Frazier The hard nosed, tough as nails fighter for the city of brotherly love endured one of the most prolific careers in the history of professional boxing. His career lasted from 1965-1981 and had a record of 32-4-1 with 27 of his fights ending by way of knock out. Joe fought through the greatest heavyweight boxing generation of all time. The fighters and personalities who fought then will be remembered as the golden years of the sport. The four loses he had came to only two opponents, and one was the greatest fighter of all time in Muhammad Ali, the other being George Foreman. Joe Frazier earned the title because of Muhammad Ali's suspension for refusing the draft. Frazier and Ali battled on March 8, 1971, in the "Fight of the Century." In this battle, Joe Frazier earned himself a unanimous points victory. In 1973, he lost the title to George Foreman and later lost again to him, which led him to retire for the first time in 1976.

Joe again fought Ali in 1975 in a fight dubbed "Thrilla in Manila," which is regarded by the majority of boxing columnists and critics as the greatest heavyweight fight of all time. Joe lost after his corner threw in the towel late in the contest. Joe will go down as one of the greatest athletes in one of the greatest sport cities in the United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 6. George Foreman Getty Images/Getty Images Before there was the George Foreman Grill, there was George Foreman the fighter. One of the greatest Heavyweights Champions of all time. His fighting career lasted from 1969-1997, 28 incredible years. His most illustrious factions came on Nov. 5, 1994, when he knocked out Michael Moorer and became the oldest heavyweight champion in the history of boxing at 45. George combined power, size and agility to become one of the most dominant fighters of all time. He won his first title after he defeated Joe Frazier in two rounds in January 1973 by knocking the legend down six times.

One of George's most notable fight was against Muhammad Ali in the "Rumble in the Jungle" in Zaire in 1974. Over his career, he was 76-5 with 68 knockouts. P.S. I love your grills. Next » 5. Jack Dempsey From 1914-1927, William Harrison Dempsey was the king of the heavyweight circle. Over his career he was 61-6-8 (50 KOs) and six no-decisions. He held the World Heavyweight Title from 1919 to 1926. Jack The "Manassa Mauler" fought during a time where the Yankees were king and baseball ruled the sports world. Jack was able to swing some of this popularity into the boxing world, becoming one of boxing's first superstars. Jack was as tough as they come, turning every fight into an epic battle. He won his first heavyweight title when he broke Jess Wilard's jawbone. Jack was one of the first fighters to draw enormous crowds. He is the man who put boxing on the map in the roaring 20's and helped to push the sport for decades to come. .

Next » 4. Rocky Marciano Born on September 1, 1923, Rocky's career was perfect in all aspects of the word. He finished a perfect 49-0 with 43 wins coming by knock out. People loved Rocky more than almost any other fighter ever. The best part is, he was only 5' 10''. His career was short lived compared to most of the future fighters, only lasting from 1947-1956. He fought in a post-World War 2 world, where American were still putting down roots and searching for stability. The zenith of his career was when he won the heavyweight title when he knocked out Joe Walcott in Philadelphia in 1952. Rocky defended his title six times before he announced his retirement on April 27, 1956. Rocky holds the record for the longest undefeated streak by a heavyweight. Next » 3. Jack Johnson Jack "Galveston Giant" Johnson was born on March 31, 1878.

He fought professionally from 1897-1928 with a record of 77-13-13 with 19 no-decisions; Johnson won 48 of those fights by knock out. Jack Johnson defeated Tommy Burns to become the first African American heavyweight champion in 1908 and held on to the title until he was defeated by Jess Willard in 1915. For seven years he was the king of the ring. On July 4, 1910, in front of 20,000 people, Jack Johnson fought former heavyweight champion James Jefferies, who came out of retirement to take the fight. This fight was tagged the "fight of the century." Jack paved the way for all the great African American fighters to come, during his whole career he had to battle racial discrimination. He persevered and became one of the greatest fighter in the history of the sport. 2. Joe Louis Getty Images/Getty Images Mr. Joe Louis Barrow fought through one of the most troubling times in our nation's history. World War 2 was in full swing in Europe and on its way to the states.

Joe's career lasted from 1934-51,and over that time he had a record of 68-3 with 54 of the those fights coming by way of knockout. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, he helped bring boxing back into the mainstream after the Jack Dempsey era had concluded. Before one of his biggest fights against Max Schmeling, Louis traveled to the White House where President Franklin D. Roosevelt was quoted as saying, "Joe, we need muscle like you to beat Germany." Joe Louis was also featured on recruiting posters all over the country to help build America's forces to defend Democracy against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi's. In 2005, Joe Louis was named the greatest heavyweight of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization. Joe Louis won his first world heavyweight title in 1937 and held that title for eleven years, eight months and seven days. Successfully defending hit title a record 25 times, he retired as the champion in the later part of 1949. Joe Louis was a legend and one of the greatest American Athletes of all time. 1.

Muhammad Ali Getty Images/Getty Images Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr, he eventually adopted the name the majority of the world knows him by, Muhammad Ali, in 1964. Nicknamed "The Greatest" and "The Champ," Muhammad Ali is without a doubt the most recognizable name in the history of boxing, and maybe in all of the sporting world. Ali was a three-time Heavyweight Champion of the world. He also won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympic games. Muhammad Ali surmounted a career professional record of 56-5 with 37 of those fights coming by way of knockout. His career lasted from 1960-1981. One of the biggest controversies of his career was when he refused to fight in the Vietnam War and was arrested and found guilty of draft evasion. He was eventually stripped of his heavyweight title because of the charges. He was also suspended from boxing for four years. In 1971, the ban was lifted.

He then fought and lost to Joe Frazier in what was called the "Fight of the Century." In 1974, Ali stunned the world by defeating the up and coming star George Foreman to regain the world heavyweight title. Ali's accolades are almost endless. He was the first heavyweight to win the world title on three separate occasions and fought during the most competitive era in the history of the sport. Hero, villain, outspoken, and determined for greatness, Ali epitomized what it meant to be the Heavyweight Champion of the World. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

Question: Name the 1952 world heavyweight boxing champion who remained undefeated for his whole career?
Answer: Rocky Marciano